<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Mischief &amp; Matchmaking by dduucckk</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25202056">Mischief &amp; Matchmaking</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dduucckk/pseuds/dduucckk'>dduucckk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Working Title: Summertime [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drunken Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Sharing a Bed, peter gets up to some shenanigans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:06:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25202056</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dduucckk/pseuds/dduucckk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the sequel to Forgiveness &amp; Friendship, so I would recommend reading that first.</p><p>The marauders (+ Lily) are spending a few weeks at James’s house, and oh boy is there a lot of sexual tension there. Peter decides to do something about it. Featuring: shenanigans and three separate tropes cause why not</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Working Title: Summertime [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>138</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Remus! Remus, I’m open! Come on, Remus, throw it here!”</p>
<p>James is shouting across the makeshift quidditch pitch that the teenagers have set up in his backyard. All five of them are up on broomsticks, playing a game that isn’t quite quidditch, but they call it by that name anyway.</p>
<p>Here’s how it works: there’s two (well, technically three, but we’ll get to that later) teams. Each team has two people on it. In this case the teams are James and Remus vs. Peter and Sirius. They only play with one ball, the quaffle. The fifth person (in this case, Lily), is the keeper. She is the third team. A game of Marauder Quidditch consists of twenty shots at the hoops. The keeper’s job is to try and block the shots (obviously). When twenty shots have been taken, whichever team got more in wins. However, if the keeper saves more shots than either team got in, then the keeper wins.</p>
<p>Lily is a <i>very</i> good keeper.</p>
<p>Remus launches the ball over Sirius and Peter’s heads, and (hopefully) in James’s general direction. James just barely manages to intercept the ball and he takes a shot at the goalposts, which Lily expertly blocks. “Seventeen!” She calls out.</p>
<p>Three shots later, Lily is declared the winner once again. James, lying on his back on the ground as he catches his breath, begs her to join the quidditch team. “Just picture it, Evans. You as keeper, me as chaser, Sirius as beater….we’d be unstoppable!”</p>
<p>Lily laughs. “We’d still need a seeker.”</p>
<p>“Remus can do that!” Sirius pipes up. “He’s skinny enough.” He sends a smirk in Remus’s direction. Remus flips him off.</p>
<p>“I don’t think anyone wants Remus on their quidditch team,” Peter says as he puts away the quaffle. “No offence, Remus.”</p>
<p>“None taken. I don’t particularly want to be on anyone’s quidditch team.”</p>
<p>James sits up with a gasp. “Moony! How could you say that?”</p>
<p>“And what would you say if I told you I don’t want to be on a quidditch team either?” Lily asks.</p>
<p>James falls backwards, clutching at his chest in mock agony. “The betrayal! You’ve wounded my soul!”</p>
<p>Lily laughs and sits down next to him. She picks a few pieces of grass and sprinkles it over his face. James tears up a chink of grass and rubs it into Lily’s hair, making her shriek. The two are soon engaged in a grass fight, with Remus, Sirius, and Peter cheering them on. When they finally collapse on the ground, exhausted, Remus leans over and whispers to Sirius, “They really would make a great couple, wouldn’t they?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Peter's shenanigans begin</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sirius absolutely agrees with Remus that James and Lily would make a great couple. At first, when James was pining for a girl he hardly knew, Sirius had reminded him every now and then that there was a very good chance that the two of them wouldn’t get along and that really, he should just try his chances with someone he knows a bit better. <i>I did that,</i> Sirius thinks to himself, <i>and look where that got me</i>. Shaking his head to get rid of the thought, he turns his mind back to the subject at hand.</p>
<p>“They absolutely would,” he whispers back to Remus. “How long do you think it’ll take them to get together?”</p>
<p>“End of the summer.”</p>
<p>“Nah, I don’t think James will be able to hold out that long. End of this visit.”</p>
<p>Peter, who has heard most of the conversation, chimes in. “I think they’ll take longer than you guys will to get back together.”</p>
<p>Remus and Sirius look at each other. Remus raises an eyebrow. Sirius tilts his head. Remus shrugs. Sirius grins. They turn to Peter and at the same time say, “It’s a bet.”</p>
<p><i>One that I’ll be winning,</i> Peter thinks. Out loud, he says, “What does the winner get?”</p>
<p>“Bragging rights,” Remus answers promptly. “I’m not betting actual money on this.”</p>
<p>“Aww, Moony, are our chances that high?” Sirius coos.</p>
<p>“No, you idiot, I just don’t want to take the risk that Prongs might not wait all summer.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter can’t believe he actually got them to agree to that. He knows that both Remus and Sirius are competitive, and both have bet on strange things before, but he actually got them to bet on their own love life. Well, sort of. Close enough.</p>
<p>It’s a few hours later, when Sirius is playing in the backyard as Padfoot, and Remus is sitting under a tree reading a book and once in a while tossing a stick for Sirius, that Peter gets the chance to talk to James and Lily.</p>
<p>“How long do you guys think it’ll take for Pads and Moony to get back together?”</p>
<p>James shrugs. “I don’t know, honestly. A few months? Definitely not before the end of the summer. But once school starts up again and they’ll have to spend the whole year together, I have a feeling they’ll sort things out.”</p>
<p>Out in the yard, Padfoot jumps onto Remus’s lap, knocking his book out of his hands and licking his face enthusiastically. Remus laughs and ruffles the dog’s fur, tugging teasingly on his floppy ear. Watching, Lily can’t help but laugh. “Really Potter, you think they’ll take that long? Look at them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were dating again by the time we all go back home.”</p>
<p>Peter knows that these two are just as competitive, if not more so, than Remus and Sirius. He sees his opportunity, and he takes it. “I think you two will get together before they work it out.”</p>
<p>James and Lily both blush bright red and refuse to look at each other. Peter smirks. James glares at him and says, “Fine. It’s a bet.”</p>
<p>“Winner gets bragging rights.” Peter declares. It would be unfair for him to bet money on this if he wasn’t doing the same on the other one.</p>
<p>“Winner gets bragging rights,” James and Lily echo.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter begins to put his plans into action the next day. He, Sirius, and Remus are in Sirius’s room, and they are planning a prank, although this prank has a purpose that goes a bit further than “this would be so fucking funny”.</p>
<p>“How do we get James and Lily to admit their feelings for each other?” Remus says with the air of a general giving a speech to his troops.</p>
<p>“Lock them in a room together until they confess.”</p>
<p>“No, Sirius. Remember when they did that with us and it just pissed us off?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah.”</p>
<p>A pensive silence falls. Finally, Peter says, “Bed sharing?”</p>
<p>Remus turns his head to look at Peter. “And how do you suggest we get them to do that?”</p>
<p>“Well, the guest rooms are all in the basement. If we flooded the basement, it would just look like a pipe burst or something, and then Lily would have to stay in James’s room.”</p>
<p>“Peter. Me and you are also staying in the guest rooms in the basement.” Remus points out.</p>
<p>“Ok, yes, but do you have a better idea to get Lily to share with James?”</p>
<p>“No, but where would we sleep?”</p>
<p>“You guys can stay in here,” Sirius chimes in. “That way if I volunteer to take you guys first, Lily <i>has</i> to stay with James.”</p>
<p>Remus thinks for a moment. “Okay.”</p>
<p>“Yes!” Peter exclaims. Remus glares at him.</p>
<p>“We wouldn’t be doing this if we had any better ideas. I can’t say I love the idea of sharing a room with the two of you.”</p>
<p>Sirius gasps in mock offense and Remus kicks him.</p>
<p>“So how do we flood the basement?” is the next thing Remus wants to know. “Because if James’s parents clean it up with magic, there’s absolutely no point in doing it.”</p>
<p>“Well then we do it late at night.” Sirius suggests. “If Mr and Mrs Potter are already asleep, they can’t clean it up, and James and Lily will be tired enough that they won’t want to try to fix it.”</p>
<p>Remus nods. “So, what? Does one of us say we’re going to bed, go downstairs, cast a bunch of aguamentis, and then come back up and say the basement is flooded? I feel like that wouldn’t be very believable. We need to do it beforehand.”</p>
<p>“Well, Moony, you’re the best at charms,” Sirius says, “maybe you can sneak off, say you’re going to the bathroom or you need to get something from your room, I don’t know, but when you’re down there, you can cast the aguamentis.”</p>
<p>“That could work,” Remus agrees.</p>
<p>“And then maybe we’ll get Lily to go down.” Peter says. “That’ll be the most believable, I think.”</p>
<p>“Excellent idea Pete! Now all we have to do is do it!” Sirius grins, and Remus rolls his eyes.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Um, James?”</p>
<p>“Yeah?”</p>
<p>“Your basement is….flooded.”</p>
<p>“What? What do you mean, flooded?”</p>
<p>“I mean, it’s filled with water, Potter, what else do you think flooded means?” Lily flops back down on the couch, glaring at James. “Sorry I couldn’t get your book, Remus. Although why you couldn’t get it yourself…” she trails off and rolls her eyes again as Remus points to Sirius, half asleep on his lap.</p>
<p>“I would have to be evil to move him,” Remus speaks quietly, unsure if Sirius’s sleepiness is real or just very good acting. Suddenly, Lily’s eyes widen.</p>
<p>“Your books! I just realized, they’ll all be destroyed by the water!”</p>
<p>Remus shrugs. “We can fix them. Magic can do truly amazing things, Lily.”</p>
<p>“If you’re sure.”</p>
<p>James reenters the room, frowning. “There’s a lot of water down there. I’d try to clean it up, but I’m exhausted. Maybe you guys can just share with us and I’ll see if my parents can fix it in the morning?”</p>
<p>Remus and Lily nod in agreement. Sirius apparently isn’t fake sleeping, and Peter is curled up in an armchair, also fast asleep.</p>
<p>“Who’s rooms are we going to stay in? Cause I don’t want to share with James,” Remus says. Lily bites the inside of her cheek, thinking.</p>
<p>“Lily can stay with me!” James speaks quickly, not giving Lily time to come up with another option. Lily blushes, and agrees just as quickly. </p>
<p>Remus holds back a smile and says, “I’ll get these two to bed, you guys go on up.”</p>
<p>Lily and James disappear up the stairs, and Remus gently taps on Sirius’s shoulder until he opens his eyes.</p>
<p>“Hey, Sirius,” Remus whispers. “Let’s get you up to bed.”</p>
<p>“You come with me,” Sirius mumbles. Remus’s heart hurts, just a tiny bit. He doesn’t think about it.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m coming with you Pads. Remember our plan? James and Lily are already upstairs. Can you let me get up?”</p>
<p>Sirius sits up, eyes still halfway closed, and watches as Remus crosses the room and gently taps Peter’s shoulder. Peter doesn’t move. “Peter,” Remus whispers, “come on, we’re all going to Sirius’s room for the night.” Peter doesn’t move. Remus eventually gives up and takes a still half asleep Sirius upstairs. As their footsteps on the stairs fade away, Peter opens his eyes, gets up, and stretches himself out on the couch with a satisfied smile.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James is nervous. No, that’s the wrong word. Terrified works better. His hands are shaking, and he can hear his heartbeat going at least twice as fast as usual. Why the fuck did he sign himself up for this? Why did he think this would be a good idea? The bathroom mirror doesn’t answer. Taking a deep breath, he steps out of the bathroom and across the hall to his bedroom. Lily is sitting on the edge of the bed, braiding her hair. She looks up when he enters, and it makes him feel a little bit better when he sees that she looks just as nervous as he feels.</p>
<p>“So, uh. How do you want to do this?”</p>
<p>Lily frowns at him. “What do you mean, Potter?”</p>
<p>“‘Cause I can sleep on the floor if you’re uncomfortable sharing a bed with me, or I guess you could sleep on the floor, that’s an option too, but you’re a guest so really you should get the bed and—”</p>
<p>“James.” Lily cuts him off. “I don’t mind sharing the bed.”</p>
<p>“O-oh. Ok. Well. Um. Good. That’s good.” James awkwardly sits on the edge of the bed. Lily pulls back the covers and gets in.</p>
<p>“Come on, Potter,” she says. “It’s late, and I’m not going to be able to sleep with you just sitting there.”</p>
<p>James slips under the covers and lies down on the very edge of the bed, careful to not touch Lily. They’re both silent for a few minutes, then Lily says, “What are the odds that this is some stupid idea of Remus and Sirius’s to try and get us together?”</p>
<p>James rolls onto his side so he can see her. “A hundred percent. Remember Remus’s suspiciously long bathroom break?”</p>
<p>Lily laughs. “The question is, what do we do about it?”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“Do we confront them about it? Or do we pretend we don’t know and see what they do next?”</p>
<p>“Personally, I’m curious to find out what their backup plan is. You?”</p>
<p>“Honestly, I have to agree. They’re clearly willing to go pretty far with this. Remus and Peter don’t have rooms now, either.”</p>
<p>“Somehow, I don’t think Remus minds too much.”</p>
<p>Lily thinks of the look on Remus’s face when Sirius fell asleep on his lap, and laughs. “Good point.”</p>
<p>Neither of them speaks for a moment, and James realizes just how close together they are. If he leans forward just a bit more—he rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling. No. Not now. He closes his eyes. “Goodnight,” he says.</p>
<p>“Goodnight,” he hears Lily whisper.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Remus wakes up with Sirius’s hair tickling his chin, and his face pressed against Remus’s chest. In a sleepy haze, he leans down and kisses the top of Sirius’s head, gently pulling the other boy out of sleep. Sirius hums softly, and tilts his chin to press a kiss to Remus’s lips. Remus’s arms come up to rest on Sirius’s shoulders, and Sirius tightens his grip on Remus’s waist. Remus hums into the kiss, and Sirius can feel his smile. He rolls onto his back, pulling Remus on top of him, and parts his lips slightly, just enough that Remus gets the message. Their kissing becomes messier, their breathing heavier, and their hands roam under shirts, skimming the waists of pyjama bottoms. Remus kisses down Sirius’s neck, nipping gently every now and then, before pulling down the collar of Sirius’s shirt and attaching his mouth to Sirius’s collarbone. Sirius moans, so quiet it’s barely a noise at all, and Remus suddenly stops.</p><p>“We shouldn’t do this.” He doesn’t move from Sirius’s chest, and Sirius can feel his lips brushing against his skin. He feels a shiver run down his spine.</p><p>“We don’t have to,” he whispers. “We can stop if you want.”</p><p>Remus shakes his head, his curls falling forward and brushing against Sirius’s shoulder. “I don’t want to stop.”</p><p>“Then don’t.”</p><p>Remus lets out a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine, and pushes Sirius down into the mattress. His lips and teeth continue their work on Sirius’s chest, and Sirius can’t stop the moan that escapes when Remus’s teeth clamp down especially hard. He digs one hand into Remus’s curls, holding them tightly as Remus presses a few last kisses to the love bite, which is already turning a dark shade of purple. Sirius cups one hand under his chin and brings him up for a kiss. Remus responds eagerly, his whole body pressing against Sirius’s, and Sirius has just moved his legs apart to wrap them around Remus’s hips when someone knocks on the door.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>😏😏</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Remus quickly rolls off of Sirius and out of bed, and Sirius adjusts his shirt before calling out, “Come in!”</p>
<p>James bursts in, hair a mess, glasses crooked. Sirius wants to punch him. Remus, who knows Sirius far too well, gives him a tiny shake of the head. Sirius pouts, just enough for Remus to see, but not so much that James will notice, and Remus rolls his eyes fondly. “James, do you need something?” He asks.</p>
<p>“I woke up this morning and Lily was hugging me!” James paces the room, too excited to stay still. “Guys, she was <i>hugging</i> me! It was amazing!”</p>
<p>“Is she still asleep?” Remus asks as he takes one of Sirius’s shirts out of his dresser.</p>
<p>“No, she woke up and then it was kind of awkward, because I didn’t know what to do, but it was amazing!”</p>
<p>Sirius snorts, thinking of how his morning had gone so far. “I’m sure it was, James. Where is she now? Did you just get up and leave after embarrassing yourself?”</p>
<p>“No! She went to the bathroom.” James sits on the bed near Sirius’s feet. Remus catches Sirius’s eye and shakes his head again. Dammit.</p>
<p>James continues, “And she was so cute! She braided her hair last night, but this morning some of it was falling out and I really wanted to touch it but I didn’t know if she’d want me to touch it but I think I spent too long staring cause then she just got up and left and I don’t know now to fix it and—“ Remus cuts him off.</p>
<p>“James,” he says, “she likes you too. She most likely didn’t mind the staring, and she also most likely felt just as awkward as you did because she feels the same way about you as you do about her.”</p>
<p>James gapes up at him. “She—what?”</p>
<p>“She fancies you,” Remus says.</p>
<p>“How do you know that?”</p>
<p>“She told me.”</p>
<p>“What? When?”</p>
<p>“Months ago, now get out of here, I need to change.”</p>
<p>James clearly wants to ask more questions, but he leaves, closing the door behind him. Sirius sighs in relief, and grins at Remus. “Come over here,” he says.</p>
<p>Smiling, Remus crawls across the bed until his face is inches from Sirius’s. He leans forward and gives him a quick kiss before sitting back on his heels, laughing at Sirius’s pout.</p>
<p>“Padfoot, I really do need to get dressed. Besides, now that James is up, we can’t just stay in bed, he could burst in at any second.”</p>
<p>Sirius finds that he can’t disagree with that, but instead of getting dressed, he elects to stay in bed and wolf whistle at Remus as he pulls on a pair of Sirius’s jeans.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Marauders (plus Lily) decide to have a bonfire in the backyard that night. Lily explains the concept of s’mores to James and Sirius, and they insist on going to the village to buy the ingredients. Lily says that she can’t trust them on their own around muggles, and maybe Remus should go with Sirius and James can stay back and help get things ready for the fire? Remus agrees immediately, and takes Sirius by the arm and drags him out of the house before James can protest. Lily wonders if she’s imagining the blush on Sirius’s cheeks, or the way his eyes seem to linger on Remus’s ass for a bit longer than they should. James is about to go out to find sticks to use as kindling when Lily grabs him by the wrist.</p>
<p>“There’s something else we need to do first,” she says.</p>
<p>“What is it?”</p>
<p>“Payback. For last night.”</p>
<p>James sits down at the table next to her. “And how are we going to do that?”</p>
<p>Lily leans towards him and says, with a grin, “I have a plan.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Later that night, when they are all sitting around the bonfire, Lily starts to fan her face with her hand. “Merlin, it’s hot tonight,” she says.</p>
<p>James nods enthusiastically. “It sure is!”</p>
<p>Remus exchanges a look with Sirius, then says to James and Lily, “I mean….I don’t know what you expected.”</p>
<p>Lily glares at him. “Well, it was already a hot night, and the fire isn’t helping. There’s a lake nearby, isn’t there?”</p>
<p>“Maybe we could go swimming!” James says. Deplorable acting, but at least he knows his lines.</p>
<p>“We don’t have swimsuits,” Remus points out.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t say no to skinny dipping,” Sirius sends a grin towards Remus, who has to fight to keep a straight face.</p>
<p>Peter hasn’t said anything yet, but he gets a look on his face like he knows what James and Lily are trying to do. He doesn’t feel like skinny dipping tonight, though.</p>
<p>“I could put some cooling charms on you guys,” he offers.</p>
<p>Sirius looks put out, and James tries to protest, but Peter pulls out his wand and quickly casts two cooling charms. He knows he’s overdone it, but that was the point. His friends start shivering, and Peter grins internally. Externally, he puts on a surprised face.</p>
<p>“Is it too much? Sorry, I probably should have got one of you guys to do it.”</p>
<p>“We should have gone skinny dipping,” Sirius grumbles as he shuffles closer to Remus. James has moved next to Lily, who is rubbing her hands together and blowing on them to try and warm them up.</p>
<p>“I’ll go find you guys some blankets,” Peter says, careful to keep his remorseful face on. He hurries into the house and to the linen cupboard, and grabs two blankets before going back out to his friends. He gives one to each group, and settles back down on the grass.</p>
<p>“Pete,” James says, “why not get four blankets?”</p>
<p>Peter shrugs. “You’ll stay warmer with the extra body heat.”</p>
<p>Remus doesn’t hesitate to wrap the blanket around both him and Sirius, who sits so close he’s practically on Remus’s lap. Lily has already wrapped herself in her blanket, but she holds it open, and James hesitantly huddles up next to her. Peter just barely holds back a smirk.</p>
<p>“Well,” he says, “I’m feeling pretty tired. I think I’m going to go to bed. The cooling charms should take about half an hour to wear off.” And with that, he gets up and goes back into the house.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James wraps his end of the blanket tighter around himself and tries not to shiver. Next to him, he can hear Lily’s teeth chattering. He wraps an arm around her shoulders, and she leans into him with a small smile.</p>
<p>On the other side of the bonfire, Remus and Sirius are in much the same position as James and Lily, with Remus, who is usually a bit cold anyway, tucked under Sirius’s arm with his arms wrapped tightly around Sirius’s waist and his head resting on Sirius’s chest. James can’t help but smile a bit, happy to see them like this again, even if they have agreed to only be friends. His train of thought is interrupted when a shiver runs through his body, and he tightens his grip on the blanket. He sees Remus tilt his head up and say something to Sirius, who nods. They get up, and Sirius walks over to James and Lily, carrying his blanket.</p>
<p>“We’re going inside, see if we can get rid of this charm. You guys can have this if you want.” He holds out the blanket, and Lily snatches it out of his hand.</p>
<p>“Thank you very much,” she says as she spreads it over her lap. James takes one end and pulls it over his legs as well, earning a glare from Lily as she tries to keep her half of the blanket.</p>
<p>James grins up at Sirius. “Yeah, thanks Pads.” Sirius gives him a salute, and walks back to Remus, who is jumping up and down and rubbing his arms in an attempt to stay warm. Sirius wraps his arm around Remus’s waist, and they make their way back to the house.</p>
<p>“They seem very….together.” Lily comments. James laughs.</p>
<p>“They do, don’t they?”</p>
<p>“Do you think they are? Maybe they just didn’t tell us.”</p>
<p>James gasps and presses a hand to his chest. “Sirius? Not tell me? Lily, you must be going mad.”</p>
<p>Lily giggles. “What, is it that hard to keep a secret from you?”</p>
<p>James turns his head to look down at Lily, his face dead serious. “Yes, it is.”</p>
<p>Lily just stares at him for a moment. James has never been able to keep a straight face for any length of time, and it only takes him a few seconds to crack. When he starts laughing, it sets Lily off as well, and it’s several minutes before either of them can look at each other without starting up again.</p>
<p>“In all seriousness,” James begins. Lily snorts.</p>
<p>“In all Sirius-ness,” she mutters, and James howls with laughter.</p>
<p>“You’re one of us now, Lily,” he says. “When you make a pun about Sirius’s name is when you officially become part of the Marauders.”</p>
<p>Lily grins, a light blush staining her cheeks. “What were you going to say before my initiation to your little cult?”</p>
<p>“It’s not a cult!”</p>
<p>“You all have nicknames! Cult nicknames!”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah, we’ll have to give you one now.”</p>
<p>“You’re not helping your case here, Potter.”</p>
<p>James sighs. “<i>Anyway</i>, What I was about to say was, Sirius overshares everything. Like, <i>everything</i>.”</p>
<p>Lily raises her eyebrows. “What do you mean, everything?”</p>
<p>“Sirius told me, in excruciating detail, about the first time they shagged.” James holds back a laugh. “Remus walked into the room halfway through the conversation, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him go so red so quickly.”</p>
<p>Lily grins. “So, you don’t think they’re dating again?”</p>
<p>“No, definitely not.” James confirms.</p>
<p>They talk for a few more minutes, and it’s James who first notices that he’s starting to feel too warm under the blanket.</p>
<p>“I think the cooling charm is wearing off!”</p>
<p>Lily removes the blanket from her lap slowly, ready to pull it back over her as soon as she feels even a hint of cold. Then, she slides out from under the other blanket as well, and stands up. She holds out a hand to James, who lets her pull him up. Neither of them move to let go. Lily’s cheeks flush red, and James realizes he’s been staring. He clears his throat and picks up the blankets.</p>
<p>“We should go to bed, it’s late.”</p>
<p>Lily watches him stride towards the house, and sighs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As he and Sirius walk back to the house, Remus wonders aloud if Pete overdid the cooling charms on purpose.</p>
<p>“Oh, absolutely,” Sirius says. “He knows how to cast a cooling charm. He’s good at them. My question is, why didn’t he want to go skinny dipping?” He sends Remus a mischievous grin.</p>
<p>Remus groans. “Oh Merlin, I would not have survived skinny dipping.”</p>
<p>“Oh, come on Moony, you would’ve loved it!”</p>
<p>Remus leans down so that his mouth is level with Sirius’s ear. “I would have loved doing it with just you.”</p>
<p>Sirius feels a shiver run down his spine, completely unrelated to the lingering cooling charms. “I think I would have loved that, too.”</p>
<p>“You <i>think</i>?” Remus teases.</p>
<p>“I <i>know</i>,” Sirius answers.</p>
<p>They enter the kitchen, and Remus takes a quick look around before pushing Sirius up against the counter and snogging him. Thoroughly.</p>
<p>Sirius’s hands immediately slide up Remus’s shirt as he lets Remus slide his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. Remus gives Sirius’s arse a squeeze before he pulls back just enough to be able to speak.</p>
<p>“I think we should talk about this.” His breathing is heavy, and Sirius can feel the puffs of air across his face.</p>
<p>“What do you mean, talk about it?”</p>
<p>“I mean, what are we doing? Because I know that last week I said that we should just be friends for now, but Sirius, it’s so <i>hard</i>.”</p>
<p>Sirius resists the urge to make a joke about other hard things—<i>time and a place, Pads, time and a place</i>—and instead rests his forehead against Remus’s.</p>
<p>“What do you want us to be doing? I know what I want, but we don’t have to do anything that you don’t want as well.”</p>
<p>Relief washes through Remus. He had known that Sirius would be understanding, but hearing him say it has already removed so many of Remus’s worries. He takes a deep breath. “I want to be with you. As a boyfriend. I want that again.”</p>
<p>Sirius smiles, wide and filled with pure happiness. “Me too,” he whispers, “I want to be your boyfriend again, Moony.” He kisses Remus gently, softly, and Remus wants to stay in this moment forever.</p>
<p>But moments have to end, and this one ends when Sirius pulls back from Remus’s lips and says, “Do we tell them?”</p>
<p>Remus frowns. “Who?”</p>
<p>“James and Lily and Pete. Do we tell them we’re dating again?”</p>
<p>Remus considers this for a moment. “No,” he finally decides. “We have that bet with Wormy, remember? If we can hide this from them until James and Lily get together, we win.”</p>
<p>Sirius laughs softly. “Of course you want to win the bet. Fine. We won’t tell them. But if they’re not together by the end of the summer, we’re telling them about us anyway, because I don’t fancy hiding it once we get back to school.”</p>
<p>Remus nods. “Deal.” He kisses the tip of Sirius’s nose. “We should probably get to bed, love, or we’ll be tired in the morning. Our <i>own</i> beds,” he adds when he sees the look on Sirius’s face. Sirius pouts.</p>
<p>“Honestly, Sirius, even if we hadn’t just agreed not to tell anyone, I would feel weird having sex with you in James’s house. I know you live here too now, but still. I’m not doing that yet.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” Sirius grumbles. But he gives Remus one last kiss before making his way to the stairs. “Goodnight.”</p>
<p>“Goodnight, Padfoot.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s a week before Peter has another opportunity to interfere. For Remus and Sirius, it’s a week of stolen kisses and quiet giggles and long, heavy stares. The long, heavy stares are very much a reality for James and Lily as well, but they’re tempered with longing and uncertainty. Peter watches, pleased with his efforts. He doesn’t know anything about Remus and Sirius, at least not for certain, but he has his suspicions. The best way to find out, he reasons, is to get them both spectacularly drunk.</p>
<p>His opportunity arises when Mr and Mrs Potter announce that they will be leaving for the weekend to visit some distant relations, and will the kids be alright on their own? The kids agree enthusiastically, and two days later, Mr and Mrs Potter leave, but not before giving a strict warning to not break anything, and “for Merlin’s sake, don’t do anything stupid!”. Peter’s plan is, perhaps, something that they would call stupid. But what they don’t know can’t hurt them, he thinks as he sets the gears into motion.</p>
<p>The first thing he needs to do is to vaguely bring up alcohol in some way. He knows that he wasn’t overly subtle with the cooling charms, and he can’t be caught this time or it won’t work. Step one is accomplished like this:</p>
<p>The five teenagers are lying in the shade. It’s too hot to play quidditch, too hot to do anything but complain about how hot it is.</p>
<p>“Merlin,” Peter groans, “I could use a drink.”</p>
<p>The others groan in agreement. The Potters’ firewhiskey, Peter happens to know, is kept in the pantry, which is under several layers of cooling charms to keep the summer heat out. James, at least, must be thinking of it.</p>
<p>Step two is to get James to actually bring out the firewhiskey, and it unfolds like this:</p>
<p>“Prongs,” Sirius asks. “Have you got anything cold to drink?”</p>
<p>It’s nighttime now, but still unbearably hot and humid, and there’s not a single breath of wind.</p>
<p>“Sure,” James says, getting up. “Does anyone else want anything?”</p>
<p>Lily and Remus both ask for water, but Peter says, “What about something stronger?”</p>
<p>His suggestion is quickly picked up by Sirius, who is enthusiastic enough about it that as James passes out cups and puts a bottle of firewhiskey in the middle of the circle, he says, “If we get in trouble with my parents, make sure they know it was all Sirius’s idea.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>An hour and a bottle and a half of firewhiskey later, everyone is drunk, although some more so than others. For example Sirius, despite his initial excitement, hasn’t had very much, and is just slightly past tipsy rather than full on drunk. Remus has apparently drunk both his share and some of Sirius’s, and he and James, who is in a similar state, are loudly (and badly) singing Mamma Mia, with Lily nearby laughing so hard she can barely stand.</p>
<p>Another hour and bottle later, Peter is the most sober, as even Lily and Sirius have had enough to get them properly drunk. James and Remus most likely won’t remember much in the morning. Peter watches with satisfaction as Remus, who has spent half the evening staring at Sirius, stumbles over to him. Sirius catches Remus as he falls against his chest, and Remus’s hands drift down to Sirius’s arse. Remus always has been a handsy drunk. Sirius, instead of pushing him away like Peter has expected, pulls Remus closer and more upright, until their faces are level with each other. Peter is beginning to suspect that they’ve forgotten about the others watching them. Sirius whispers something to Remus, and Remus gets a dopey grin on his face before kissing Sirius, hard. Sirius wraps one arm tight around Remus’s back, and brings the other up to his hair. Just as things are getting more heated and Peter is about to look away, he hears a wolf whistle from behind him. He turns to see James laughing hysterically.</p>
<p>“Pete!” He shouts. “Pete, look! Look, you were wrong! You thought we would get our shit together first but they did! Ha!” He sways a little and Lily steadies him with an arm around his waist.</p>
<p>“Come on, James,” she says, “I think it’s time for you to go to bed.” He looks ready to protest, but then Lily reaches up and ruffles his hair, and he allows himself to be led inside, a deep red blush on his face.</p>
<p>Peter, grinning, turns to his other two friends. They both look confused, and before they can figure out about Peter’s bets, he, too, goes to bed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Only three more chapters left!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Did he…?” Sirius is frowning, his firewhiskey addled mind trying to make sense of everything. “Did he make a bet with them, too? About us?” He looks to Remus for confirmation.</p>
<p>“I think he might have?” Remus’s brain is working at about the same level as Sirius’s now, and Sirius decides that it’s time for him to go to bed, because at this point the other option is to pass out on the grass. He voices this idea to Remus, who agrees happily, and the two of them make their slow, rambling way to the house, and upstairs to Sirius’s room. After closing the door, Remsu begins to clumsily strip out of his clothes, much to Sirius’s delight.</p>
<p>“What’cha doin’ there, Moony?” He tries for a smooth, suave voice, and is fairly sure that he fails completely.</p>
<p>“Getting ready for bed,” Remus mumbles. He tugs his shirt over his head and then lies down on Sirius’s bed, wearing only his boxers. Sirius swallows.</p>
<p>He pulls off his shirt and kicks off his jeans until he is just as clothed as Moony, and lies down on the bed. After a moment, Remus rolls over and throws an arm over Sirius’s stomach.</p>
<p>“Hey, Pads,” he mumbles into his shoulder, “fancy seeing you here.”</p>
<p>Sirius can’t help the laugh that escapes him. “What did you say last week about not having sex in James’s house?”</p>
<p>Remus is already pressing kisses on every part of Sirius he can reach—so far, just his shoulder and part of his chest. “But that was last week,” he whines. “Maybe I changed my mind.”</p>
<p>Sirius grins. “Well, if you changed your mind….” he suddenly moves so that he’s on top of Remus, straddling the other boy’s hips. Remus grabs him by the back of the head and drags him down for a kiss, and….well. By the end of the night, they’ve had sex in James’s house. It’s Sirius’s house too though, so it’s fine.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James stumbles over his own feet, leaning heavily on Lily as she guides him up the stairs. Everything feels hazy, and Lily’s arm around his waist is making his whole body tingle. He grins.</p>
<p>“Lils?” He mumbles.</p>
<p>“Yes, James?” They are at the top of the stairs now, and Lily has stopped and turned to face him.</p>
<p>“Did Moony and Pads just….” he trails off, and Lily laughs.</p>
<p>“Yes, they did.”</p>
<p>“Does that mean I can kiss you now?”</p>
<p>Lily’s eyes widen, and her lips part slightly. James’s hands start to shake. Several excruciating seconds later, Lily nods. Just a tiny bob of her head, but undeniably a nod. James leans forward, trying very hard not to trip and ruin the moment. Lily meets him halfway, and when his lips brush hers, every nerve in his body lights up. She pulls away after a moment, smiling.</p>
<p>“Well,” she says.</p>
<p>“Well,” he says.</p>
<p>“That was nice,” she says.</p>
<p>“Sure was,” he says. Lily takes him by the hands and pulls him towards his bedroom. James’s eyes go so wide it feels like they’re about to fall out of his head. “Are we gonna…?”</p>
<p>“What? No!” Then, with a smirk, “unless you want to.”</p>
<p>James is sure his heart just stopped. “I mean, yeah. But no? I’m so drunk. No.”</p>
<p>Lily laughs. “That’s what I thought. Come on, let’s get you into bed. Hopefully you’ll be sober in the morning.”</p>
<p>“Will you stay up here?” James says hopefully.</p>
<p>“Sure.” Lily sends him a small smile as she opens his bedroom door.</p>
<p>“Oh, good,” James says. “I liked waking up with you.”</p>
<p>Lily’s blush, he is sure, is something that he’ll treasure for the rest of his life.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Only one chapter left! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Peter is up first. When Lily walks into the kitchen, she is surprised to find four plates filled with bacon, eggs, and toast sitting on the table, and Peter halfway through the fifth plate.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know you could cook,” she says. Peter shrugs.</p>
<p>“I got the house elves to teach me. Thought I might as well know how, since none of the others do.”</p>
<p>Lily sits down and takes a bite of toast. She nearly chokes on the bite when Peter oh so casually says, “So, I noticed you didn’t sleep in your room last night.”</p>
<p>Lily stares at Peter. “What the fuck, Pete? Did you <i>check</i>?”</p>
<p>Peter shrugs. “I might have. Remus wasn’t in his room either. I wonder where he could be…” he frowns in mock confusion.</p>
<p>“You’ve been trying to set us up this whole time, haven’t you?” Lily exclaims.</p>
<p>“Maybe.” But the smug look on Peter’s face tells her all she needs to know.</p>
<p>“I can’t even be mad at you,” she groans. “It’s not like we were going to do it on our own.”</p>
<p>Peter shrugs. “You just needed a push in the right direction.”</p>
<p>Before Lily can answer, Sirius bursts into the room.</p>
<p>“Pete! You little backstabber! You made a bet with them, too?”</p>
<p>Remus follows at a more sedate pace, and puts a hand on Sirius’s shoulder. “Calm down, Pads. He didn’t do anything horrible.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean he didn’t do anything horrible? He gets so many bragging rights, he’s never going to let us forget about this!”</p>
<p>Peter grins. “It was all part of my master plan.”</p>
<p>“Your master plan?” James walks into the kitchen, yawning, and kisses the top of Lily’s head as he steals a piece of bacon from her plate.</p>
<p>“Fuck off Potter, you have your own bacon.” Lily glares at him, but it lacks her usual ferocity. </p>
<p>Peter smiles as he watches his friends. James and Lily are bickering over whether or not Lily gets a piece of James’s bacon (an argument Lily wins when she leans over to give James a quick kiss, and takes a strip off his plate while he is still too stunned to notice), and Remus is drinking coffee while Sirius rests his head on his shoulder, still half asleep.</p>
<p>In Peter’s humble opinion, his master plan worked out perfectly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That’s it! The last chapter! Thanks so much to everyone for reading and leaving kudos and comments, I love y’all so much 🥺💖💖</p>
<p>This was initially going to be the end of the series, but last night I came up with an idea, and it’s actually something I’ve wanted to do for a really really long time but every time I tried I gave up. I’m thinking, though, that it might be easier to do it as part of this series, so basically what I’m trying to say is that there’s more fics on the way! :) I don’t have anything written yet, but I’m working on it and it should be ready soon!!<br/>(Please ignore the “I’ll be posting a new chapter every two days” bit right underneath this lol)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! I’ll be posting new chapters every two days</p><p>Come say hi on <a href="https://dduucckk.tumblr.com">Tumblr!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>